The goal of the research is to develop an understanding of the molecular mechanisms which control biomineralization processes in vitro and in vivo . The role of lipid matrices in initiating nucleation processes will be examined, as will the role of proteins in calcification processes. In the former case, the effect of acidic phospholipid monolayers on the growth of calcium oxalate crystals will be probed using ESCA and SIMS. In the latter, the self-assembly properties of streptavidin will be exploited to investigate how protein structure/function relationships influence biomineralization.